Puky Posthole Parade
On March 26 we took a quick flight from from Delhi to Kathmandu to begin our Nepali adventure. In the afternoon I was reunited with Nalam, a guide in Nepal whom I had met while on the Everest base camp trek in 2016. He was so sweet and even brought us marigold flower necklaces (Thanks again, Nalam!!). We had discussed doing a trek in the Nar Phu valley so we spent the rest of the afternoon looking over maps and discussing plans. We talked for awhile and then he called his cousin Ratna to come talk to us because we were trying to find a way to incorporate a peak and that was his specialty. After talking and much deliberating, we decided to hike with Ratna instead, and to attempt Chulu Far East Peak.
The next day was spent getting gear rentals and worrying over the size and subsequent weight of our packs. We needed mountaineering boots, crampons, an ice ax, helmet, tent, 4 days of food, etc. and that all weighed a ton. Ratna urged us to go with a porter but we thought it wouldn’t be that bad (boy, were we wrong). So we rushed around getting everything that we needed, and eventually went to bed with a 5am alarm set.
We’ve also discovered a new favorite menu item: thenthuk! It’s a delicious noodle soup with very thick homemade noodles and a super tasty broth. We like ours with veggies, slices of potatoes, and some egg (think omelette style). It is so hearty and warming and all around fantastic!
On the morning of the 28th we took a taxi to get a local bus to Besishahar, about a 6 hour drive on some really terrible roads. Once in Besishahar, we grabbed lunch (the smallest thali we’d ever seen) and were then off in a jeep on some extremely gnarly off-road road to Lower Pisang. The drive was crazy, huge cliffs on one side, extremely rugged terrain, waiting for tractors doing road maintenance. But eventually, at 8pm we made it, totaling a fantastic 14 hour travel day.
In Pisang we woke early, had a big breakfast and set out on the trail. We walked for hours and hours. Our packs were heavy and we started to question our decision to forego the porters. It was warm but the scenery was beautiful. We could see some of the Annapurna peaks so clearly!
In the afternoon we reached Ngawal and were really thinking we might need a porter. We already hiked so far and gained so much elevation and we were only on the first day and we weren’t even done yet. But we found out it was too late for that so we drudged on up and up to Julu Khola, our “half camp”. We made Korean packaged noodles for dinner and they were so so spicy, none of us could drink the broth. Around 11pm I woke up with a gnarly stomach ache and spent the next hour retching. I assumed from the noodles but could have been altitude/ Diamox as well. We’d started the day at 10,500ft and moved up to 13,000ft.
On the 30th, we again were just hiking uphill with our heavy packs headed towards base camp. It was hard gaining, steep steep steep and hot. And did I mention, heavy? But we kept on trucking. I started to feel like I needed to puke again but tried to hold it off. We went through a steep section of scree and then found our way onto the snow. Ratna told us a couple times that it was just a bit further, but it kept being just a bit further than that and I started to feel really ill.
Eventually we made it to base camp, having hiked from 13,000ft to about 16,000ft, and I puked and immediately got into the tent that Davis hastily put up for me so that I could try to relax. I did not feel well and I wasn’t sure why. It went in waves through the afternoon and evening. I tried to eat some dry bread and dried mango. Eventually Davis had me drink a big bowl of salty electrolyte fluids and a little while later I threw it all up. I had a plastic bowl that I was trying to puke into but it kept getting full so Davis would quickly dump the puky contents out in the vestibule and give it back to me. But of course it splattered everywhere in the tent and on the sleeping bags so we tried to clean it up the best we could and decided that the following day needed to be a rest day. Davis was such a champ. He helped me so much and even when our tent smelled like vomit, he helped me out as much as he could.
On the 31st we just hung around, trying to get used to the altitude, but a bunch of snow kept falling and made us concerned about the summit attempt the following day. We read books and tried to eat food, (easy for Davis but super hard for me at elevation and on Diamox). I found that the only thing that really sounded good was the yak cheese he had brought. That night for dinner I had the same noodles but omitted the spicy spice which I thought would be enough, but I woke up in the middle of the night with bad stomach pain so I elevated my head as much as possible and went back to sleep.
At 3:59am on April 1, Ratna yelled across to our tent to wake us up and get ready for the summit push. We donned our layers, mountaineering boots, headlamps, harnesses and backpacks and went for a walk. It was very steep so we went slow and as the sun began to light up the mountains, we got a breathtaking show that changed minute by minute.
Still up we went until the snow got super deep. We began needing to posthole to make progress and this took awhile. A long while. And was very tiring. So it made progress incredibly slow and we started to watch gray clouds move in around us and cover the peak. We walked until a little after 10am, until we had reached approximately 17,700ft and we were staring up at Chulu Far East.
We had to call it. We sat on some snowy boulders and ate chocolate while the weather continued to deteriorate. Davis started to feel dizzy and we headed back down slowly to base camp inside a world of gray. We knew we were in the Himalayas, but you wouldn’t know it because all we could see was opaque gray surrounding us. We made it back to base camp around 12:30. The snow had started to fall pretty full on and didn’t let up for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It was a bummer to miss the summit but we had such a great, strenuous, butt-kicking, peak attempt and the weather let us know that it wasn’t our time to stand on the top.
I really wanted to beat my elevation record, but that would come in due time. Davis had already beat his elevation record by several thousand feet as the highest mountain he had climbed up to this point was Mt/ Elbert in Colorado at 14,440ft. He's such a champ!
The next day we descended all the way to Ngawal and made it by early evening. We had been taking Diamox but decided to stop on this day and I think it was a great decision. I think the Diamox was really messing me up and we both felt much better after we stopped taking it.
On the 3rd we took it easy, well, easier. We took a slow morning, we hiked up 710 steps to a shrine in town and at 10:30 we began descending to Bharak. The walk took longer than expected, about three hours, but it was very beautiful and we enjoyed seeing all the pretty mountains, and now on the traditional circuit, we saw tons of other backpackers. In Bharak, we decided to stay at the hotel New Yak. It was big and bustling, but the biggest perk, our room was decent and cost less than $1! Plus they had showers. So for the first time in a week we were able to take a shower. There was warm water and it was soooo nice!!
This hotel is known for their giant veggie burger and it did not disappoint. It was colossal in size and smothered in garlic sauce. It was the first real burger buns we’ve had since leaving home. I couldn't finish it all in one sitting so I had to bring it back to the room and eat the rest as a late afternoon snack. We went for a little afternoon walk around town and into the fields surrounding town. We got a couple baked goods for breakfast for the next day as we were hoping to leave by 7 for a very popular hike to Ice Lake!
The rooms don’t have outlets so we had to charge our phones in the main dining room along with everyone else so we played Wordle and talked before having dinner and an early bed time.
Since we went to bed around 8:30pm, of course I woke up at 4:45 ready to go for an adventure. The hike to Ice Lake was steep but very beautiful, a common theme here in the Himalayas. The total stats for the hike were about 8.5 miles RT and 4,000ft of elevation gain to a couple of lovely alpine lakes situated at 15,200ft. This made it the highest alpine lake that Davis had ever been to! It was not icy, but still very picturesque. There were two lakes to view.
Near the bottom of the hike there is a small group of homes built into the side of the cliff and it was really neat to walk through that section and see how they live and view those homes from above; they were quite a sight to behold.
We started the hike just after 7am and returned by early afternoon to have a small lunch and hike to Manang. The hike wasn’t said to be very far and it only took us about 40 minutes to get there. The weather started deteriorating as we were getting into town and we quickly found a place to stay at the Gangapurna hotel and did some shopping. Manang is the “big city” on the circuit with several bakeries and a few outdoor shops so we got Davis new sunglasses, picked up some microspikes for possible use on Thorong La Pass, got a slice of apple crumble and tried togba, Himalayan hot beer! The weather was full-on gray and stormy by this point so it was really nice to stop in to some of these small cafes and try a local delicacy. Davis tried togba and it was certainly interesting! It tasted sour and very fermented and was in this metal mug with a special straw that just had small slits so as not to allow the fermented millet into the gullet. Basically they just pour hot water on the millet and you drink and once you’re getting low, you add more hot water. It was an interesting experience!
We got the things we needed (including 300grams of yak cheese for me) and we went back to hang out in the dining area of our hotel. There was a wood stove there and many people congregated around the warmth. We hung out in there and eventually had veggie burgers (with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber 😍).
The next morning we were up and ready to go just before 8am. We went to the information office to check in with our permits and then we were off. The hike was beautiful and took about 4 hours. Super sunny and warm, we hiked up and left the valley behind that we had been in all week.
We had a couple of gear malfunctions, one of Davis’s trekking poles broke and the backpack that I had just bought in Rishikesh had broken twice and would need to be replaced or repaired once we got back to Kathmandu. The back of the pack is adjustable to make it smaller and two of the three smaller adjustments had broken so far (the last would break on the last day of the trek). I paid about $100 for the backpack so it’s pretty disappointing for me.
Anyway, we continued along the trail. We’d been meeting up with the Marylanders and getting some of our planning and route ideas from them, so we had originally planned to hike to Yak Kharka but decided to go a bit further to Ladar (13,800ft). We got there around noon to these super cute pink and blue individual cabins and went into their lovely sun room for some lunch. I wasn’t feeling super hungry so I skipped lunch and afterwards Davis and I went for a little walk through “town”.
We went back to the sunroom and hung out for awhile but I was anxious to be outside as it was so beautiful out that I decided to hike up this big hill outside the hotel. I hiked up till 14,500ft and got a splendid view of the surrounding valley, mountains, and the little hotel.
Later in the evening it started to snow and make the world our own little snow globe and it was a beautiful sight to see. I love seeing the landscape with a fresh blanket of white. We played cards and had dinner (thenthuk was much smaller than average) and had another early night.
On the 6th we hiked from Ladar to Thorong La Pass base camp and then to high camp at 16,000ft. We started around 7:30am, Davis and I and Owen and Davin (the Marylanders). The world had a fresh dusting of snow and shortly into our hike we saw two pikas!!! Real, live Himalayan pikas!! It was extremely exciting.
Again we hiked through beautiful valleys with high peaks surrounding us on all sides. This time we were gaining some good elevation. We also crossed a really long and beautiful bridge.
We made it to base camp in two hours which was much quicker than expected, we took a short break there in the sunshine and even went and got a cinnamon bread log thing that was still warm!! But we only took a small bite, we were saving it for after the climb. Just above our heads (1,200ft up) we could see prayer flags and found out that high camp was just a straight up path with switchbacks. Not far away in distance, just straight up! So up we went. It was a long slog but took us just under an hour.
High camp is made with stone from the surrounding area so it blends in really well and looks very nice! We were the first people to arrive, it was about 10:30. Davis and I hiked up in the snow a bit further to a glorious viewpoint to eat our cinnamon bread. We marveled in the majestic peaks surrounding us on all sides and basked in the glory of the sun and each other's company.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. Reading and playing cards like prediction, and eating yak cheese and going for one more little walk in the wind.
It snowed again in the evening but not for as long, and soon cleared up to show some beautiful stars. Everyone was sat around the wood stove and it got pretty warm in there from the fire and the body heat.
We turned in early, excited to head to Thorong La Pass the next morning.
Some of the groups were up so early! They left before light. We figured leaving at 7am would be okay but I started getting antsy. Especially since I'd been waking up so early these days. On the 7th I was up and ready to go eaaarly. But I waited for our group to be ready to go.
We started the trek to Thorong La Pass just before 7am. It was a long one. We had about 1,700-1,800ft that we needed to gain. We saw the most people we’d seen on the whole trail. We passed many groups on the way up and there were still many more in front of us. A few people were riding horses.
We walked in the bright bright sunlight, gaining elevation pretty quickly. Sometimes we walked on rock and sometimes we walked on snow. We had all been advised to buy microspikes for this day and we were glad that we had.
Our group of 5 (we had gained one German fellow named Thomas) reached the summit of Thorong La Pass in 2 hours!! We were cooking. The elevation of the pass is somewhere around 17,750ft (another new record for Davis).
We took our photos and I had expressed interest in trying to climb higher, so Davis and I climbed up the start of a mountain called Yakwakang, situated just to the side of the pass. I was trying to beat my elevation record from Kala Patthar in 2016, which is about 18,200ft. We climbed up and we stopped at 18,450ft, but then I was so excited to be up higher than I had ever been that I climbed up a little more to 18,500ft!! Davis said I need to learn how to chill. Maybe so, but I felt incredible achieving a glorious new record for myself. I was very proud and very excited. The view was phenomenal and we could see all the people partying at the pass several hundred feet below us.
We made it back down to the pass to prepare for the really long descent. We had over 5,000ft to drop. I don’t know exactly how far, but it covered quite a few steep downhill miles. Our little extra credit excursion had taken awhile and it was well past lunchtime and we were getting pretty hungry. About an hour from Muktinath (our destination for the day) there were a few restaurants in a really picturesque spot so Davis had some fried rice and I decided to wait till we got to town. After he ate, he needed to hike slowly so we really should have just waited till we had arrived in town but he just couldn't. It was such a looong hike to town and our moods were starting to crumble.
We met our friends at the Bob Marley hotel and immediately ordered veggie burgers for “lunch” after 3pm. Our food took forever and we were eating veg burgers around 4pm. The burger was so filling that I wasn’t able to eat dinner that night.
Davis and I took a quick walk around Muktinath, got some juice and finally got another hot shower at our hotel. That makes the second one on the trip, the first since Bharaka and it was really nice. Warm water just felt so nice.
In the evening we hung out around the wood stove, Davis had yak meat pizza and I had mint tea. I knew that I was in a major calorie deficit but didn’t feel hungry. I did get a cinnamon bun on the way back to the room so I’d get a few calories in me.
With Owen and Davin we planned to start later the following morning, around 9, to walk to Kagbeni. Breakfast at 8 sounded so late but was a much-needed slow morning.
We left a little after 9am; all 4 of us had breakfast around 8 and hit the trail by 9:15. There was a big temple in town so many Nepalese tourists were there making their way to the temple, quite a few rode on horses up and some even laid on what looked like a rudimentary stretcher and had 4 men carry them to the top. It was so interesting to see!!
It was supposed to be an easy couple hours to Kagbeni but it ended up taking us a bit longer due to some washed out trail that made our trek a little spicier. The views were fantastic and a definite change from the previous day. We were descending into a canyon and everything was dry; snow could only be seen on distance peaks. We could see lots of pinnacles or hoodoos, very strong desert vibes.
We dropped significant elevation and then found ourselves on the side of a steep hill with very little footing due to landslides that had washed out the trail. We carefully found a way to descend to the river and from there followed it, sometimes having to rock-hop across. Eventually we came to some men doing some kind of construction and using a tractor in the river bed, which was a pretty unexpected sight!
From there, we kept walking till we hit town. It was about 7.5 miles from Muktinath and not at all what we were expecting but it made for a great last day on the trail. Much better than following the road.
We found a place to stay at Hotel Yeti, had a (phenomenal) veggie burger for lunch, and walked around the small town of Kagbeni. Davis went up to a balcony to pet a dog that looked like a husky and the dog freaked out on him- barking and growling and knocked him over. It was scary but also felt like Elf when he tried to hug the raccoon. So Davin and I called to the dog to distract it so that Davis could safely pass by and come back down the stairs.
That evening when it turned cold, I went for a walk to get a really nice view of the mustang valley.
Back at the hotel we tried alcoholic hot apple cider and it was pretty strong but smelled just like brown sugar and tasted delicious. Apples seem to be the only thing that grows up here so you can always find apple pie, apple crumble, and any variation of apple desserts. That day with breakfast, Davis had apple pie and with dinner he had apple crumble. He sure does love his sweets!
I had the same veggie burger for lunch and dinner. It was so so good! Fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and cucumber, plus thick slabs of yak cheese and the bun even seemed homemade. Yummmmmay.
The following morning we got a taxi with the Marylanders at 5am and made it to Jomsom a half an hour later. Davis and I jumped on a bus to Pokhara. We spent the next 8 hours being jostled around on muddy bumpy roads, stopping for construction, a flat tire, and dal bhat (hopefully my last for quite awhile). Eventually we made it to Pokhara and headed straight to Lakeside, the popular section of town for westerners. After checking into our hostel, we roamed town and ended the evening with more veggie burgers in a lakeside restaurant, watching the sun sink down as it reflected on the water.
The next day I went in the morning to see my friend Hunter! We went for a long walk and got juice/ smoothies before he headed off for a small town a few hours away.
Davis and I met the Marylanders for lunch and after lunch did some shopping before again having veggie burgers for dinner on the lakefront, watching the bright orange sun sink below the horizon. We had a bit of an early dinner because we had a night bus to catch around 7. Davis was pretty hesitant about the night bus and he had every right to be. The night bus to Kathmandu took about 9 hours. It was freezing cold and then hot, and the bus jostled us around like crazy. However I slept most of the ride. Davis did not.
We got into Kathmandu eaaaarly on the 11th. I think we got in around 5 or 6am. Since it was early, we decided to walk the 1.5km to our hostel. On the way, there was a bakery that was open so we each got a small chocolate muffin. I had a feeling that our hostel gate would be locked from the inside, and sure enough it was! So we sat on the curb in the first light of day and ate our muffins. Then Davis found a way to hop the gate and we hung out at one of the tables and waited till they opened. Finally we got a room around 8am and Davis took a nap while I started packing. Ratna came around 9:30 and we went on a hunt to return the rest of our rental gear and to find someone to sew my backpack. I had decided to try to fix it before buying a new one, so we took it to a seamstress and they tried but told me to take it to a cobbler who had thicker needles. We went there and he sewed it and we’ll see how it goes! Fingers crossed it holds up. We returned our gear and ate thenthuk at the same place where we had first had it. So tasty!
We had a relaxing afternoon and went to The Garden of Dreams before dinner. It was a beautiful garden but we mostly had fun watching all the people posing for countless photos. After the garden, we had the best pizza we’ve had in Asia and a salad too! That night we even watched part of Forrest Gump but Davis was just happy to be sleeping on a bed that wasn’t moving like his bus chair from the previous evening.
The 12th was my day to fly. The 13th would be his. We had a slow morning and got the last things that I needed like yak cheese and momos for the plane! I had been dreaming of a poached egg and we decided to do brunch and to my wonderment, they had eggs florentine (and pretty delicious blueberry pancakes). After a scrumptious meal, I got packed up and said goodbye. We won’t see each other for almost exactly one month! It’ll be long, but he has to head back to India to finish up his project and then he’ll come meet me in Greece. Oh, did I mention that’s my next destination?
So first I flew to Delhi and had to go through security again and it was slower than turtle slow. Slower than snail slow. They had one land open and all electronics including chargers had to be taken out; each person took 5-10 minutes to get through. Then I flew to Abu Dhabi. The demographics of that flight were about 1% female and 1 individual, white, which was me. At Abu Dhabi I had to leave the airport, collect my bag, and go to a new terminal. In the middle of the night, with three hours of sleep. It was a bit of a struggle but I got it done. And then I was on a flight to Istanbul. And that flight was delayed about 1.5 hours but eventually I made it to Athens!
I'll see Davis here in Greece in a month! He had to head back to India to finish up his project.. Counting down the days! Until then, let's see where this Greek adventure goes.
